Arming without Aiming: India's Military Modernization

by Stephen Philip Cohen

the Indian Army received 54 percent of the total defense budget in 2009. The Indian Air Force received 24 percent, and the Indian Navy, 15 percent. Defense research and development received 6 percent. The army's allocations since 2007 reverse a decade-long trend, where it had been losing budgetary ground to the IAF and the Indian Navy. In particular, the Indian Navy's budget had risen to 18 percent of the total expenditure. The IAF, the country's premier instrument of power projection, is also on a downward trend though its relative decline is slower. Part of the explanation for the reversal of the army's budgetary fortunes lies in the massive Sixth Pay Commission increases. Because the army is disproportionately larger in manpower, it draws the bulk of new resources. However, the strong return of the Indian Army at a time when the air force and the navy have been making large deals indicates the degree to which India remains a land power tied to its historical strategic conditions. It also suggests future difficulties that India must face in rebalancing its forces.